Blog

Akande Davis

One of the biggest appeals of livestreaming is all about capturing the ‘now.’ Church marketers (Digital Evangelists) can leverage their audience in a completely new way that is real, relevant, and in the moment. The level of exchange and interaction that Digital Evangelists can get from livestreams, gives creators unique moments in time with their audience.

There is something awesome about that.​With all of the benefits of livestreaming being used in church communication, there is one that often goes unnoticed and that is the value of creating livestream content that is ‘Evergreen.’

​Evergreen content is great for promoting your message, church, or ministry to your audience

Evergreen content is content that can be shown to new audiences over and over while retaining its intrinsic value. It doesn’t become less interesting or less relevant, in fact, it has the same effect for every new person that watches it. Some great examples of Evergreen content pulled from livestreams are often conference videos, Q&A sessions, and even live group discussions.

Even if it is happening in the now, it can still be Evergreen.

While preparing for your next livestream to help aid your church or ministry efforts, here are 4 ways that you can do to make sure that your content is as Evergreen as possible:

Avoid putting the date in the title of your video or mentioning it in your dialogue, lower thirds and anywhere else when possible. This won’t be a huge issue for most people, but the more that content becomes dated, it can be perceived as less relevant or important for your audience. Content that has a post date that is a few months old, or even years old, can still be relevant to the audience if they are getting a tremendous amount of value from the content. This is where you can couple your church or ministry efforts with Evergreen content. When you remind them that it is dated however, you could encourage them to go somewhere else to find newer, more recent information.

Avoid trending topics that won’t be relevant to your audience in a month’s time. This doesn’t mean current events should be skipped out on, but if you are able to maintain an ongoing dialogue with your audience, focus on that. Don’t get lost in the weeds that could become the ‘now’ of the livestream. Always keep in mind that your content needs to be relevant: building an entire communications plan for your church or ministry around the advent of the fidget spinner would be a bad idea, so don’t do that with your livestream.

Repurpose older content during your livestream. If you talked about something in the past, in a blog, article, video, etc. that really resonated with your audience, find a way to take that same information and graft it into your livestream. This will create content that your live audience will enjoy and engage with while still maintaining relevancy with your audience. This is crucial when it comes to digital marketing. If you have content that has performed great, there is nothing wrong with reviving it with a new twist! The key points for your marketing strategy should be the basis around what you have built up i.e., even if you're hitting the same point in a different way, it will still be interesting to your audience (when done correctly).

Break your livestream into smaller videos to distribute and use as short-form content for your community. If someone doesn’t have time to watch an entire livestream, even if it is already uploaded, break it into 2 -3 minute easy to watch clips, highlighting the best parts of the webinar. Digital marketing is built on snapshot experiences - capturing your audience in a moment, several different times, can be just as valuable as having them for a 1-hour stream. Taking it a step further you could break it down into 30 – 40 seconds clips and drive users to the livestream with each clip (or any other content). Facebook is notorious for users dramatically losing interest in videos after 10 seconds, so the shorter the better.

Creating Evergreen content is practical and essential.

But take everything with a grain of salt; not all livestreams can be repurposed to be Evergreen.​Sometimes the ‘now’ of the livestream is what it is – there is nothing wrong with having a strategy that isn’t Evergreen or having content that isn’t constantly repurposed at every opportunity for your digital campaigns. Your church/ministry is unique - don't drown it out by trying to conform your communications strategy to what is considered 'better,' if what you're doing is working well. However, it never hurts to try new things. Test and see what works for your ministry, and keep trying.

​Don't know if your livestream can be used as Evergreen content?

If you're wondering if something can be turned into Evergreen content, consider some of these leading questions;

Akande Davis

​Livestreaming is a powerful tool that can be used to build up your digital strategy. But that is just what it is, a part of the strategy.

Livestreaming should not be your whole digital strategy.

Even if you follow every rule and best practice, your marketing efforts will fall short if you don’t have a solid foundation to build your livestreaming, and other social media efforts, on top of.​More times than not, the basics of digital strategy are entirely missing, so when one strategy doesn't make up for what's missing, it's abandoned.

Without the basics, you will fall short of your goals and not even know why.

Here are some considerations to help you maximize your video content and pair your efforts together in a way that has a positive impact all around:

Audience: Do you know exactly who you are trying to reach and target with your efforts? Do you know their favorite places to eat, hobbies, TV shows, preachers, etc.? There is a level of detail that you need to have in order to understand your audience and build that relationship. If you don’t know anything about whom you’re talking to, how will you know what to talk to them about?

Analytics: Do you know what pieces of content on your social media channels perform the best? Or even what social media channels perform the best overall? Which ones have the highest engagement or least engagement? Having accurate, informed analytics allows you to make confident choices in your marketing efforts. Your decisions should be based on actual evidence and not just ‘gut feelings’.

Goals: What are you looking to accomplish with everything that you are doing? Consider your monthly, quarterly and annual goals for your efforts. What is the baseline for your efforts? How do we quantify success? What are the KPIs (key performance indicators) driving your decision-making? Knowing where you need to go is important in starting the journey.

Strategic Partners: In many cases, you likely can't do this alone. I try to avoid the hard sell, but a genuine question you should ask yourself while investing time, money and resources into your efforts is; Who are you looking to as a strategic partner for your digital strategy efforts or overall strategy? Some agencies might be a good fit for you, and some might not, but in either case, you should partner with experts (when possible) who can help guide your mission according to your goals.

Download the following resources to help you establish a digital strategy for your church or ministry.

Using livestreaming as a digital tool can be incredibly valuable to crank your digital efforts to the next level, magnify your influence, and engage even more effectively with your followers.

Many organizations see a much better engagement on video content than other types of content on social media. Below is one example where Facebook reach was 328% MORE on video content. Facebook engagement was 288% MORE. The page itself has a total following of about 17k on Facebook and 4k on Instagram.

Notice the spike in reach that can be seen in November (below) when more engaging (video) content was used to reach their audience - it looks like a mountain range with an almost immediate spike! ​

Next is another example of a page I manage that has roughly 300k across Facebook and Instagram. Again, we see that video content gets over 300% more engagement and over 250% more reach - than ALL of the other options combined!

​Leveraging video content isn't just beneficial, it's a must if you're looking to take your digital strategy to the next level.

Livestream video content can be used over and over again when turned into Evergreen content - videos don't have to age out just because they were livestreamed. There are opportunities to maximize what you are using and are already doing with your livestream content. Check out our blog on creating Evergreen contentto learn more.

Dustin Comm

Facebook’s latest announcement that its algorithm will favor posts from friends and family instead of Pages means your church or organization’s Facebook page posts aren’t going to show up in your fans’ news feeds very much anymore.

“I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions,” said Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. “As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media.”

While this seems like a benevolent move by Facebook (and it certainly may improve the quality of life for users personally), the plan has always been to reduce the organic reach of Pages’ posts to zero. The term “Facebook Zero” has already been in use for the few couple years as Facebook has been fairly transparent about that trajectory.

So what can you do to overcome these changes? Here are some tips in combating the new Facebook.

1. Create “Delightful” ContentYour content should be “thumb-stopping,” meaning users should pause scrolling in their news feed because the it is “delightful.” According to Facebook, this means it should either “make someone laugh, cry, or surprise/provoke them.” Statistically, faces hold our attention longest, but funny memes/quotes, or stunning video footage accomplish this as well.

2. Make It ShareableThe shorter the video, the more likely it is someone will watch until the end and share it. Infographics also are easy to share, so find good stats and create an image using a service like Canva. Stay away from articles as they require someone to click and read something, which means many people won’t take the time to do so.

3. Create DialogueZuckerberg gives us a hint for why this is so important, “The public content you see more will be held to the same standard – it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.” This means if your post is receiving a lot of comments and discussion, Facebook’s algorithm will rank your Page’s post higher and it will show up in more News Feeds.

4. Use Facebook Ads It’s amazing how far your content can go on just $50. Give your posts some paid momentum that can build into organic performance.

5. Consider Other PlatformsFacebook is king as far as numbers: at the time of this article there are over 2 Billion active monthly users on the platform. But if all those people aren’t seeing your content, maybe you consider supplementing your marketing strategy with other platforms like Instagram or Twitter.Above all, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is don’t get discouraged, and continue experimenting with what works for your organization. Things will always change in the digital evangelism space as technology and platforms ebb and flow. Remembering how powerful these resources can be for our mission is paramount.

Rachel Lemons Aitken

Communications Executive of the Greater Sydney Conference and Founder of the Digital Discipleship Ministry of the Greater Sydney Conference.

​Modified by Jamie Schneider Domm, Digital Strategist for the North American Division

As a local church member, pastor, elder or youth leader, you may be wondering how relevant Digital Discipleship is to your church. The Digital Discipleship ministry exists to create, inspire, encourage and resource disciples of Jesus Christ to share His love through their creativity and innovation in the digital space. What does this look like in action? After reading this article, you will be equipped with actionable ideas for integrating Digital Discipleship principles into the fabric of your church.

A church’s strength – its unique quality – is in its community and its ability to be a place of life-changing teaching, learning and launching.

In the Bible, we see the church doing every day, ordinary things together – eating, sharing problems and burdens, sharing dreams and discouragements and sharing financial obligations. Community was natural – almost inevitable.

When the biblical model of church is so reliant on in-person interaction, what does Digital Discipleship have to offer? In many ways, this question lies at the heart of the discussion of the relevance and efficacy of Digital Discipleship at the local church level.

In the minds of some, community must happen exclusively in person while in the minds of others, community happens online. However, Digital Discipleship offers a “both, and” approach instead of an “either, or” approach.

The local church can now add digital tools to its available resources to reach, disciple and provide community. The local church has the opportunity to recognize the gifts of its members in the areas of creativity and technology and to acknowledge the abilities of these people to move the work of the church forward. The local church is positioned to amplify its message while becoming more targeted in its approach through available technology.

Local church leaders and members can implement any of these principles as they work to integrate Digital Discipleship into their church’s ministry plans keeping in mind that this ministry encourages churches to equip its members to make disciples and grow in discipleship by meeting a need in the digital space, addressing a digital need or utilizing digital tools.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT DIGITAL DISCIPLESHIP AT YOUR CHURCH:

THINK LIKE A SEEKER

The first thing a church needs when implementing Digital Discipleship principles is empathy. Yes, empathy! We need to begin to think like a person looking for a church community when setting up our websites and social media accounts.

Arm yourself with empathy for a seeker or a person looking to find God. What questions would you have about church? What would encourage you to attend a church or to reach out to a Christian to understand Jesus better? What might you see that would give you a boost of encouragement to push through a hard time?

Show your online visitors what life might look like if they were a part of your community. Give them a glimpse of the events, the spiritual life and the friends they might make. Show them how they can have their questions answered.

While it’s very important to put thoughtful consideration into your website and social media design, remember social media isn’t a science and effective website design can require iterations. Knowing that you can test, change and update can relieve a bit of the pressure of always getting it right the first time.

Understand why you are posting in the first place. Periodically assess whether you’re getting the results you need from your social media and web presence. Find ways to adjust or adapt to the needs of your church and to the people you are trying to reach through your site and social media accounts.

VALUE THE TALENTS OF THE CREATIVES AND TECH SAVVY AMONG YOU

There isn’t always space in the church for creatives and the tech savvy to place their talents on the altar in service to God. Weaving Digital Discipleship principles into the fabric of your church’s Discipleship Plan can provide space for more people to feel engaged around the idea that the church values their time and talents.

Providing a space of recognition for the gifts of creatives and the tech savvy is an essential part of Digital Discipleship. Regard their contribution to the mission of the church as highly as you would the musicians, Sabbath School teachers or youth leaders.

IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE YOU’RE TRYING TO REACH

Never before have marketing messages been able to be so targeted as they are today. In the digital space, ads can be aimed at specific groups based on demographics and behaviors. For this reason, it’s best to decide who you are trying to reach. Review some of the ministries your church is running. See if there’s an opportunity to bolster their efforts by implementing a digital strategy.

FIND A WAY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF YOUR COMMUNITY IN THE DIGITAL SPACE, AROUND A DIGITAL NEED OR BY UTILIZING A DIGITAL TOOL

There is discussion, even within the Digital Discipleship ministry, about how “Digital Discipleship” fits within “Discipleship”. Many models have been created and put forward for church members and leaders to study and understand. One in particular is based on Jesus’ story of the Sower and the Seeds from Mark 4. These models are helpful in explaining the process of discipleship so some may wonder if Digital Discipleship is similarly proposing a new model of discipleship that exists exclusively in the digital space.

Digital Discipleship’s aim is to provide a gentle nudge (or a strong nudge if necessary) to the church to meet the needs of people within our community in the digital space, around a digital need or by utilizing a digital tool.​

PROVIDING DISCIPLESHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ONLINE SPACE

Local churches have a variety of opportunities to help their members grow in discipleship in the digital space. Ironically, while leading with spiritual events and worship services is not the natural progression of discipleship — even in the traditional discipleship models — it’s often the starting point of our interactions with people in the digital space. We often begin our online interactions by “sowing the seeds” through live-streams of church services and advertising evangelistic programs, which isn’t necessarily the first natural step to introduce someone to Jesus.

Even though it’s not the recommended starting point, it is crucial. There are many people who are in need of Jesus who spend significant amounts of time in the digital space. As expressed at the Digital Discipleship Conference by Pr. Sam Neves, Associate Director of Communications from the General Conference, online relationships are not virtual relationships they are real relationships. There are real people behind the computer screens.

There are many people who are unwilling or unable to enter a church building. Many members of our local churches have stopped attending church but may be willing to anonymously watch a service online. Many parents, previously involved in the church, are distracted on Sabbath morning by attending to the needs of their children. Others have hearts that are ready to listen to spiritual messages but are intimidated by entering a church building. By fostering relationships online, some who were unwilling to attend may return, others who were disengaged may be encouraged to return to the church and some may find spiritual renewal.

Keeping this in mind, there are opportunities to share spiritual content online outside of the traditional church hour. These might include online small groups and online prayer sessions. There are also opportunities for webinars and online evangelistic series.​Not all online relationships must remain in the digital space. There may be opportunity for building relationships with people online that encourage and attract them to attend your church. There are many things that need to happen for a person to trust you with their Saturday morning in a church building. Digital Discipleship can play a role in familiarizing people with your church and encouraging them to attend.

PROVIDING MEMBERS WITH PERSONAL MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES​

There is an additional opportunity for local churches within Digital Discipleship. Recognizing that not all members are gifted in the areas of creativity or technology, there is room for the non-techie, semi-creative to be involved in Digital Discipleship.

Pastors are often laden with the responsibility of maintaining the functioning of their local churches while also evangelizing their communities. This skewed view reduces the responsibility for church members to grow in discipleship.

Creators, Distributors and Engagers

Employing Digital Discipleship strategies in the digital space, as a church, can provide church members with the tools and know-how to share and disciple within their online communities.

There is a model in Digital Discipleship of content creators, content distributors and content engagers. Collectively, they create content to share a message, distribute the content to their networks and position themselves to have conversations around that content.​Local churches are well positioned to adopt this model among a group of its members who wish to use their social media platforms to intentionally share Jesus online.

If your interest has been piqued and you’re curious about introducing Digital Discipleship principles in your local church, consider the following steps:

Exercise empathyfor the people who will be engaging with your social media accounts and your website. What questions might they have that you can answer? Have you given them a glimpse at what life might be like if they were to join your community?

Value the creatives and those gifted with the ability to understand technology. Regard their contribution to the mission of the church as highly as you would the musicians, Sabbath School teachers or youth leaders. This will affirm the area of giftedness God has given them and will engage them in the church’s mission.

Identify the specific needs of the people you’re trying to reach. Today’s digital landscape is highly segmented, and it’s much easier to target the people you’re trying to reach in the geographic locations where you want to connect with them. Having a clear picture of who you’re talking to can be very effective.

Find a way to meet the needs of people within your community in the digital space, around a digital need or by utilizing a digital tool. Digital Discipleship does not limit you to the digital space. It provides you with another avenue to reach people, with additional tools and with additional needs to meet. How can these increased opportunities be useful in allowing you to reach the people you’re trying to reach?

Provide discipleship opportunities in the online space. After you’ve met people’s needs, be prepared to feed them spiritually. This may mean a series of articles or videos or a livestream of your church service or Bible study. Whatever it may be, be prepared to talk about the life-changing effect of Jesus in the lives of your online visitors. Have a plan for how you can best progress to that point in the conversation.

Provide personal ministry opportunities. Digital Discipleship provides a natural personal ministry opportunity for the creatives and tech savvy. However, it also creates a space for church members who are less digitally inclined. If they operate in the digital space, they may be able to participate in the model of content creators, engagers and distributors.

Please let us know if you are implementing digital discipleship models in your church or ministry. We would love for you to share you experience and what you've learned. Comment below!

Jamie Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist for the North American Division. ​

Select quotes and graphics used with permission from Heidi Baumgartner, Communications Director for the Washington Conference

The stakes of our gospel calling are too high; your church, conference, or ministry can no longer go without a digital brand strategy. It is imperative that we become just as effective as secular organizations at using digital media for communication and community building.

Strategic planningis simply the process of being intentional and thoughtful with your digital communications.

This process begins with one question: How do you want to be known? This is your brand.

Branding is the process of revealing the most complete picture of an organization to its audience through perception, experience, and essence. Brands are communicated, not just created. A brand is based entirely on a customer’s experience. (Heidi Baumgartner)

Components of your brand strategy should cover three areas: marketing, public relations, and corporate communication. Think of marketing as evangelism [OUTREACH] and corporate communications as internal or member focused [INREACH].

What can your church or ministry become known and recognized for? What is unique about what your organization has to offer the community? ​

Your branding should:

promote awareness

foster emotional connectiveness

communicate your mission and values [brand story]

encourage brand ambassadors

provide strategic direction to your team and set clear goals/objectives [mission/vision]

shape expectations for those you serve [brand promise]

Your brand strategy and digital strategy work together, and are part of an overarching grandcommunications strategy that includes traditional means of outreach and experience.

Redeveloping your brand and/or your strategy takes a lot of behind-the-scenes homework. Involve people in your team throughout the process so they could share in ownership. This is especially important for choosing a handle or name for your social media profiles.

Brand Basics: ​

Brand: represented by its logo, its color, its type, its images, its designs, its tone of voice, its customer service

Brand Strategy: defines the message and how to say it

Brand guidelines: a system of managing the brand visuallyThe biggest problem I see with ministries using social media is that they have no clear objectives. You must determine your purpose and shape your online communications and brand accordingly.​Conduct a thorough branding audit. This process helps you to evaluate your communication and can help direct your rebranding. Define your communication purpose(s): for example, to advance the gospel and influence your community.

​Next develop your identity across all platforms and channels as part of your overall brand. Social media does not work in a silo; it should be integrated in your broader communications, both digital and print.

Establish Branding Consistency

Make sure all your social media profiles look consistent and use the same name.

Reserve your name on all platforms.

Use a consistent name (15 characters or less; short/simple; stands test of time; no numbers, symbols, or punctuation).

Use the same profile photo & a consistent design look.

Use the same headline, blurb, or bio.

Develop a consistent voice/tone.

Clearly articulate what you do and offer through your mission, brand promise, and brand story.

There should not be a disconnect between how a person is nurtured in the pews and how they are treated online, or vice-versa.

Social media is an extension of your church brand and voice, shared with an online audience. Your brand is how your church is perceived. How we feel about a brand ultimately stems from our experiences with it. Put yourself in the shoes of a person experiencing your brand, and view your ministry through an outsider’s perspective. Evaluate their experience objectively and make changes based on your communication objectives. Develop a clear brand promise (expectation of what it's like to experience your brand or what your organization has to offer) and make sure all aspects of your organization deliver on that promise.

Strong digital brands create connection and take a comprehensive approach to the member experience. Treat your members online as if you’re talking with them face-to-face. Their online interactions with you should make them want to experience your faith/mission in person. Then, when they come to an in-person experience, it should be a continuation of the positive relationship you’ve built with them online. This applies also in reverse. Have guidelines for every part of an audience member’s journey, including in-person, on-site interactions. Remember every experience–physical or digital–speaks to your brand.

How your online followers and community perceive your ministry influences their perception of, not only the Adventist church corporately, but God, even if you haven’t put any effort into creating or managing your brand. In the absence of your story, people will fill in the blanks themselves. Your digital voice may be the only opportunity your followers have to see Christ’s love demonstrated in their life.

​People search online for answers to their problems, what better place for the church to engage them?

But first, we must have a clear understanding of who we are and be able to clearly demonstrate our mission, vision, and value. Create a brand that your target audience can recognize and connect with in a meaningful and positive way.​Having a strong brand and digital communications strategy won’t cost a lot of money but will involve a lot of time. Consider this an opportunity to build a team of digital disciples and brand ambassadors within your church or ministry. These people will become the human face and voice of your brand 24/7. Investing in their talent will keep them invested in the church long-term.

Center for Online Evangelism

​People are Googling for God.

Each year there are millions of Google searches for answers to questions like:“Is God real?”​“What happens when we die?”

“How do I know I’m saved?”

“Why is there so much suffering in the world?”

Additionally, many people are hurting, entertaining suicidal thoughts, or feel there is no hope for their situation. They turn to the internet for companionship, understanding, information, anonymity, and more. It’s easier for them to pour their hearts out on Google, Reddit or a topical forum than it is to come to a friend, neighbor, co-worker or family member.

​This great need yields an opportunity for you to share the hope found in Christ.

No matter your skill set, interests, or socio-economic status, you can be a beacon for the hope only God can give. Being an online missionary simply means you dedicate time online to help people learn more about Jesus Christ and invite them to follow Him.

With the increase of social media platforms, websites, and the popularity of video sharing sites, there are countless types of media you can use to connect with someone, build a relationship, care for their needs, and point them to a saving relationship with the Lord.

There are so many ways to do this. It could simply be what you share on your Facebook page, blog, YouTube channel, Instagram feed…wherever you spend your time and have nurtured a circle of friends or followers. You can share articles, quotes, scripture, or begin discussions of your own. You can even use proven evangelistic strategies to lead others to Bible studies, whether at your local church, or online in a private Facebook group. The possibilities are as limitless as our God!​There are many online missionaries and digital disciples out there already. But as you know, the harvest is so plentiful that more workers are always needed.

Anyone who is a follower of Jesus is called to be a disciple and we were all given the commission to “go…and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19, NKJV). Now the nations are literally at our fingertips! We can ‘travel’ to Asia to tell someone of Jesus and at the same time share Bible truth with someone living on the West coast of the United States—while sitting at home, thousands of miles away from those we are interacting with.

These days, anything you can think of can be accessed online. Why not make Jesus more accessible?​If you are looking forward to the soon return of Christ and if you have access to the internet, you can be an online missionary.

​Post it. Text it. Tweet it. Pin It. Share it. Vlog it.

What is ‘It’? The Good News that Jesus died to save us from our sins and is coming soon to take us home!

Not sure how to start? The Center for Online Evangelism is dedicated to providing you with resources to help you as an online missionary. Click here for more>>

Jamie Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist for the North American Division.

The proper care and feeding of followers.

Global social media usage is on the rise, and this year, 33% of the world’s population will be on social media (TrackMaven). Depending on how we respond to this reality, social media presents either a huge opportunity or a huge challenge for the gospel.

Social media is a valuable tool for listening to the needs of your audience and building relationships. Simply having a social media presence is not enough anymore. Your audience expects a response when they engage with you online—often within a few hours. Your goal in using social media for ministry should be to ultimately understand and fulfill a need, making a tangible impact in the real world. This means listening and taking action on a daily basis.

How your online followers perceive your ministry influences their perception of not only the Adventist Church corporately, but God. Your digital voice may be the only opportunity your followers have to see Christ’s love demonstrated in their life.

Strong digital brands create connection and take a comprehensive approach to the member experience. Treat your members online as if you’re talking with them face-to-face. Their online interactions with you should make them want to experience your faith/mission in person. Then, when they to come for that onsite experience, it should be a continuation of the positive relationship you’ve built with them online.

There should not be a disconnect between how a person is nurtured in the pews and how they are treated online, or vice-versa.

Every opportunity to connect is an opportunity to advance the kingdom of God. Do not waste your digital influence. Social media provides a unique opportunity for long-term member care that can enhance and strengthen the relationships you cultivate with the members, as well as the community, your ministry serves.

People search online for answers to their problems–what better place for the church to engage them?

Your content may answer some of their needs or questions, but not all. Be the voice that answers back and engages with them in a meaningful way.

According to the Q2 2016 Sprout Social Index, 90 percent of surveyed consumers have used social media in some way to communicate with a brand. What’s more, over a third (34.5 percent) said they preferred social media to traditional channels like phone and email.

Member care includes addressing the negative. By being actively engaged online, you have the opportunity to turn negatives into positives by addressing issues and resolving problems promptly. This is especially relevant to younger generations who naturally turn to social media first to share their thoughts and feelings. Through a culture of online customer service and digital discipleship, you can build a reputation as an organization that truly cares about its members and the community it serves.

Nearly half (46 percent) of people have used social media to “call out” or complain about a business. That number jumps even higher when you slice the data by generation. Unsurprisingly, millennials are quick to take their frustration to the keyboard—56 percent of them have complained or called out brands on social media. That means that millennials are 43 percent more likely to call out a brand on social media than other generations (sproutsocial).

Do not underestimate the power of engagement. There’s no ROI (return on investment) without it!

Invest the time; build a committee of digital disciples who are available to respond to comments and messages online promptly, while being human. That means engaging with a personal tone that conveys Christlike care. It will pay dividends for your mission. By living out our mission online and exemplifying the character of Christ, we can create social media ambassadors for the gospel, who eagerly share your content and messages.

Social media interactions should be treated like a real-life conversation. Respond to your audience, share their content, and like their comments. Follow the conversation and actively participate. Seek to understand their needs, and respond in a meaningful way. Building relationships can impact brand awareness, trust, financial support, and more. Your goal should be to break down the perceived barrier between the individual and your corporate brand. Strive to be authentic and as transparent as possible. This is how you build trust.

I believe that the next great awakening will be a digital one. We have the ability to preach and live-out the gospel in view of millions of people, so let’s do it. We need every single one of us to commit to being a digital disciple, using social media as a vehicle to reach out and care for God’s children.

Some tips to get you started:

Check daily for comments, questions, and messages, and respond in a timely manner. Not every comment needs to be answered, but you are encouraged to “like” them. Sometimes legitimate inquiries or simple misunderstandings are expressed that can open an opportunity to serve the needs of members and/or provide clarification.

Comments that are offensive should be deleted or hidden immediately, but do not automatically delete negative comments. Again, these are an opportunity to listen to and respond to the needs of the community. Depending on the situation, respond publicly to the person or via direct message. Use your discretion. Remove spam posts accordingly.

Talk with, not AT your audience. Follow the conversation and actively participate. Seek to understand their needs, ask questions, and respond in a meaningful way.

Frame every response with the salvation of others as your number one priority. Be diplomatic, professional, and empathetic. Reflect the values of the Church at all times.

Redirect people to proper resources and or departments when needed. Follow up to make sure they received an answer or help with their question.

If a person seems volatile, do not respond, and hide the comment. If the person is aggressive, block or mute them if needed.

Jamie Schneider Domm

Digital Strategist for the North American Division.

Why It’s Important to Look Back in Order to Move Forward

It’s 2018–can you believe it? The new year means setting new goals, but before we look forward, we must first look back. For many of us, working for the church drives us to give everything we have—time, energy, creativity, heart, and soul—for the mission. Our work is more than a job, it’s a calling. While powerful, this mindset leaves little time for reflection or rest between campaigns. A year passes in a whirlwind and we find ourselves unable to recall what we accomplished during the year. We may even feel as though we’ve fallen short of our expectations, yet perception is not always reality. You probably have accomplished a lot more than you realize.

I’ve said many times in my presentations, “If you’re going to take the time to put together a campaign strategy, take the time to track your performance. Otherwise you can’t build on what you’ve learned or improve for the next campaign, because you didn’t learn from this one.”

The same is true for our own individual career development and even professional confidence. Now, this isn’t about patting yourself on the back for the sake of feeling good about your personal impact on the world, but it is worth taking inventory of growth, in digital campaigns as well as professionally.

Tracking your own performance allows you to:

appreciate your work in context,

understand what succeeded and what didn’t,

develop realistic goals and expectations for the following year, and

focus on areas of improvement.

Documenting your efforts gives you something to show for all your hard work, even if it’s for your eyes only.

A former mentor of mine taught me something very valuable:

Always create a list of your yearly accomplishments with corresponding data to support it.

As marketing professionals, we spend a lot of time learning how to effectively promote our organization’s brand and mission. Young people, you must also learn to market yourselves as professionals. It’s vitally important for your career path that you track both quantitative and qualitative performance results. This allows you to objectively evaluate your accomplishments and areas for growth. It also empowers you with the information you need to better advocate for your own career advancement. This is especially important for digital marketers for whom quantitative results are expected. In many cases, digital strategists are one of the biggest drivers behind financial profits and donations. In my experience, those who get promotions and raises are the same people who ask AND have quantitative data to show that they deserve advancement.

Before you fill out your performance review, reflect upon 2017 and draft of your list of accomplishments and quantify them when possible. It’s also a good exercise for teams and departments. This reflection allows both individuals and teams to start a new year better equipped to tackle the tasks ahead.

Just some #foodforthought as we begin 2018. As always, I'd love for you to share your thoughts below.

What would it take to get your attention?Maybe an email’s subject addresses a question you’ve had, a process you’re stuck in, or a new idea you’ve been trying to crank out. Maybe it pushed the envelope a bit, or was just odd enough for you to wonder about. Bottom line: It cut through the clutter because the words in the headline connected with you and your current situation.

We have to expect that those in our audience, on our mailing lists, or following us on social media are in the same noisy, cluttery, overwhelm-y state of content consumption. They’re on your lists for a reason, so you do know there’s a common interest or shared mission. But is your content rising above the noise in their inboxes?

“In today’s world, digital media is so pervasive that it’s no longer considered unique; it’s a way of life,” explains a recent post on SearchEngineLand.com. “Virtually everyone has a smartphone, and most individuals and households have smart devices.”

But we’re on these devices because we’re all looking for something—whether it’s a moment of entertainment, help with a problem, statistics to back up a claim, or just something useful to feed our ravenous yet attention-deficit brains for the time being. So what can we give our audiences that they’re already looking for?

You should already know your audience. (And if you don’t, maybe it’s time for a survey, a study, some A/B testing, etc.). What can you give them that would make their lives easier, help them grow, or do something better or faster? Marketing guru Seth Godin asks, “How will your audience change as a result of your [article/letter/post/video]?”

An effective headline can open the door for further ministryYour content has to be clicked on before it can have any kind of life-changing effect. So to truly stand out among the noise, your headline has to communicate directly to the reader, “This will make your life easier” or “Here’s a way to do the thing you always do, faster” or “Here’s some insight on that nagging question in your mind.”

List posts perform wellThis is a highly shareable form of headline for an article or video. This doesn’t seem to get old—people love that list posts are highly skimmable and offer clear takeaways, such as “5 Ways to Streamline Your Mornings” or “21 Undeniable Facts About Bananas.”

Use “you” and “your” frequentlyThese words already tell readers’ brains that this is about them—which is who they’re consuming content for in the first place. A simple headline such as “How to Organize Your Inbox” will perform better than “How to Have an Organized Inbox.”

Enable your readers to envision a better lifeIf readers believe they will learn how to do something amazing, win free stuff, save lots of money, or get the inside scoop on a little-known tip or trick, they are more likely to click on your headline or email subject. “Use promising words to your readers,” which will make them more likely to hit “share.”

Slightly alter headlines for different channelsDIY-ers love Pinterest, while business and tech talkers hang out on Twitter and LinkedIn. Facebook tends toward the light and friendly sharing of ideas and household tips, especially in video form. YouTube has a niche for just about everyone.

Tug at emotionsDescriptively acknowledge what your audience is going through and how this piece of content addresses it. Ask questions, even venture assumptions, such as “Feeling stuck? Try these 5 decision-making tips” or “If you still haven’t decided what to do this weekend, here’s all you need.”